An Office Romance
by casualty1fan
Summary: This Fanfic is about Zick (Zoe and Nick) and Zax (Zoe and Max) When Nick returns to the ED what will Zoe and Max think and will Zoe run back to nick like she has done so many times in the past, please review:)
1. The return

**This is just an idea I had when I heard that Michael French is leaving EastEnders it is a Zick and Zax fanfic, I am naming it as a one-shot now but only cause I am not sure if I should continue or not so please tell me via twitter, PM or through a review, please review****J**

It was a normal day in the ED noel and Louise were fighting, Caleb was trying but failing to pull lily and max was going around dropping zoe cheeky winks and smiles which zoe of course didn't respond too as she would die if anyone found out about their relationship, if you could even call it that.

Zoe stood in the staffroom making herself a rather large coffee, it was her admin day the day that she was only to be disturbed if it was a emergency, the day that was filled with hours of paperwork and the day that max always popped in to make her feel better.

Max came in to the staffroom with the usual cheeky smile on his face which meant that he was up to something, he purposely brushed past Zoe who immediately smiled as she was on her way to her office.

When it was her admin day max would always leave zoe flowers on her desk and sometimes a note with a cheesy saying on it that would cheer her up or make her laugh and today was no exception as zoe walked into her office to find a bunch of roses that must have cost max a fortune.

Zoe smiled and put them in a vase that was full of water, then she sat down knowing that on her admin day, the day that she was not to be disturbed there was always a major accident that somehow kept zoe in rhesus all day which meant that she couldn't get most of her admin work done and as zoe predicted this happened.

Zoe arrived back from rhesus 3 hours later, 3 hours she had been stuck in the same room but as soon as Zoe opened her office door she smiled as a note had been left on her desk in the same place as it usually was but today the note said something different, something that Zoe wasn't expecting.

**Roses are red  
Violets are blue  
I've never found someone as beautiful  
As you**

Roses are red  
Violets are blue  
You know I'll always be sorry  
that I hurt you

Roses are red  
Violets are blue  
If I could  
I'd turn back time to when it first kissed you

Roses are red  
Violets are blue  
If you don't believe me  
Then I will show you

Roses are red  
Violets are blue  
Baby no one knows me  
As much as you

Roses are red  
Violets are blue  
Believe me,

**I'll do anything  
To get you**

Roses are red  
Violets are blue  
You might not know  
But I love you

Roses are red  
Violets are blue  
If I could pick anyone  
I would pick you

Roses are red  
Violets are blue  
The first day I saw you  
That's when I knew

Roses are red  
Violets are blue  
No one will ever love you  
As much as I do

**Roses are red  
Violets are blue  
My heart skips a beat  
When I'm laying next to you**

zoe read the note over and over again, it was like it had been specially adjusted to fit in with her love life as that's how it had always ended with the men zoe loved, in heartbreak.

Zoe knew that max would never have written this as he probably didn't even know about Zoe's past and only someone what knew her inside and out could have written that.

Zoe would never share her private life with her staff but for this she needed help and she knew that she would get it from Tess.

Zoe walked to the reception desk where Tess was having a conversation with max, Charlie, noel and Louise.

"Are you ok" said Tess when she first saw Zoe

Noel, Louise, Charlie and max turned around, Zoe's face was pale and she just shook her head at Tess before handing her the note which Tess decided to read out loud.

Once Tess had read the note everyone gasped and Zoe's theory about max not sending it was pretty much confirmed by his face.

"Who's that from" said Tess handing the note back to Zoe

"Not a clue" said Zoe shaking her head

"Is it true" was all the Louise could say

Tess and Zoe shot Louise a look which was giving her an answer but at the same time telling her not to ask the question.

"He is full of passion" said Charlie

"I know" said Zoe "that's what worries me"

"Worries you?" said a voice from behind Zoe

Zoe recognised the voice and Tess, Zoe, Louise, Charlie, noel and max shot around to see nick standing in front of them, all 6 of them stood there with their mouths open and Charlie turned around to Tess.

"Pinch me" said Charlie who couldn't believe what he was seeing

Tess smiled and took the operturnaty to forcefully nudge Charlie

"Tess" said Charlie "I didn't mean literally"

Tess just laughed before looking seriously at nick wondering why on earth he was here

"n-n-nick?" said Zoe

"Hello Dr Hanna" said nick winking at Zoe as he usually did

"Well I guess we know who sent Zoe that note now" said Tess leaning over the desk talking to noel and Louise

Nick looked at Tess as it was as if her whole personality had changed and she was still friendly but she wasn't the nurse she used to be who wouldn't take risks, wouldn't speak out and wouldn't say a word wrong, there was something different, it was like she was happier.

"N-nick what are you doing here" said Zoe

"I came here to do something that I should have done a long time ago" said nick

Zoe looked over at Tess who just shrugged as nick put his arm around Zoe's waist pulling her towards him before placing a gental kiss on her lips, hoping that she would respond.


	2. You are joking, right?

**I have had allot of people asking me to continue this so here it is, please review****J**

To nicks surprise zoe didn't respond but just pulled away, it sounds stupid but nick expected zoe to fall back into his arms and be his forever, like she had done so many times before cause after all, all he needed to do was give her one of his famous winks that would make her weak at the knees and she would be his again but this time was different as he was not having that same effect on her that he had 3 years ago as he could sense that there was something that was stopping her from kissing him back it was like the spark between them was gone and the 2 years apart was all that zoe needed to get over him.

Zoe stepped back and looked at the rest of the ED which was now gathered around her and it was true that she hadn't kissed the famous nick Jordan back, the man that she had told so many lies to keep and yet when he finally admitted his feelings for her she didn't respond she didn't even feel anything it was an meaning less kiss like the spark they had when they first kissed that had soon turned into a fire had now had been put out, it was like nick was just an old flame to zoe now.

Zoe turned around so that her back was to nick and that she was facing Louise, Tess, noel, Charlie and max, zoe just froze and looked at max who made eye contact with her before putting his head down and rubbing the back of his neck, it was obvious that he felt threatened by nick.

Zoe then looked at Tess expecting her to intervene and gave zoe advice like she usually done but Tess just shrugged which signalled to zoe that she was on her own, but Tess knew that if zoe really wanted nick then she would have kissed him back even if it was in front of the ED as Tess knew the effect that nick had on zoe as she had remembered the time when she had first saw zoe crying and it was about nick when she was caught in her web of lies.

"Zoe?" said nick which caused Zoe to turn around

Nick smiled as zoe stood there with her hands on her hips then she took her right hand putting it through her hair then rubbing the back of her neck.

"Listen nick" said Zoe who had started a sentence that she was going to find hard to end

"I-I" said Zoe

"You what?" said nick who was still smiling at Zoe's reaction

Zoe looked round at max but it wasn't noticeable and it just looked like she was looking at Tess and Charlie again.

"Well I em" said Zoe rubbing her hands

This made nick laugh slightly as Zoe was trying to act profession in front of her staff but she soon gave up.

"You are joking, right?" said Zoe who finally decided to talk without thinking to hard

A smile escaped Zoe's lips and nicks smile faded which was noticed by the rest of the staff

"I don't think he is joking" said Tess who was clicking her pen

Nick looked at Tess and was surprised at what she said as she was standing acting like she was a teenage school girl who didn't really care about anything, it was like she wasn't the Tess that nick had left in charge of the nurses in the ED, but nick didn't have a clue about how much Tess had been through since then.


	3. The boyfriend

**Thanks for all your wonderful review's, please keep leaving them****J**

**I am not sure how much longer this story is going to go on for as it was originally a one-shot but please send me any ideas you have and then it can go on for as long as possible****JJJ**

Zoe stood there staring at nick, she didn't have a clue what to say and it was obvious that the staff were waiting for her to say something to nick, probably something that they could gossip about.

"I-i-don't-know what to say" said Zoe who gave up and decided to admit her true feelings

"Zoe lost for words?" said Tess "that's a first"

Charlie laughed at this and so did Tess, they were starting to act like 2 popular students in a classroom while a teacher's teaching.

"Zoe, I kind of need an answer" said nick that was starting to regret coming back to holby

"Just one thing" said Zoe after a minute of silence "I-kind of have a-boyfriend"

There were a couple of giggles from the staff until Tess spoke which was starting to become a regular acutance.

"Here we go rejection" said Tess to Charlie who was laughing at the awkwardness of it all

Zoe had heard what Tess said but still she didn't have a clue what to do, go with max who she loved, was happy with and wasn't sure she could live without or go back to nick who was the man she had been waiting for, the man she had known and loved for the last 6 years, the man that when with her made her feel special, the man of her dreams but at the same time zoe didn't know if she loved him anymore.

Zoe opened her mouth to speak but then she heard a voice that was coming from behind her, it was guy self who was wondering what on earth was going on.

"Zoe you were supposed to be in a meeting 5 minutes ago" said guy self in a calm tone as he was aware that the whole ED was watching something that was obviously quite interesting.

"Oh em sorry" said zoe looking at nick "I kind of got caught up here"

"I can see that" said guy self-looking at nick that he instantly recognised and had heard a lot about

"I will go and I can discuss the outcomes with you later" said Connie who was obviously trying to prove to guy self that she was a lot more suitable to be clinical lead than Zoe.

Zoe shook her head knowing that Connie was only looking to prove herself to guy self, but at the same time Zoe couldn't just let nick leave so she made a compromise.

"Nick I am going up to the meeting and if you step outside this building before I come back down again, then I will find you and kill you" said Zoe which made nick smile

"Am I not already in your bad books?" said nick who decided to wind Zoe up a bit

"Shut up" said Zoe to nick before getting in a lift with guy self

"Right back to work everyone" said ash who knew that Connie would let the staff sit and gossip all day.

Ash and a number of other people knew why Connie was back and why she was in the emergency department.

Nick didn't know what to do so he walked over to the reception desk where Louise, Tess, noel and Charlie where standing hoping that having been friends with Charlie when he was in the ED that Charlie would look after him as the format of the ED had been changed yet again.

"Does zoe really have a boyfriend?" said Charlie to Tess

"Think about Zoe's history and think about the likelihood of her having a boyfriend is" said Tess

"10%?" said Charlie to Tess smiling

"My guess is a lot lower than that" said Tess waling off to the staffroom

Charlie walked the other way to cubicals and Nick followed him.


	4. Whats happened to you?

**Thanks for all your wonderful review's, please keep leaving them****J**

**I am not sure how much longer this story is going to go on for as it was originally a one-shot but please send me any ideas you have and then it can go on for as long as possible****JJJ**

Charlie turned around as he heard nicks voice, he still couldn't believe that nick Jordan was back in holby and looking for Zoe as well even though everyone knew that they were and always would be the perfect couple.

"Charlie can I have a word?" said nick to Charlie in nearly a whisper

"yes, sure" said Charlie to nick "I just need to go and sort someone out in cubical 5 but go to the staffroom and make yourself a cup of tea, zoe will probably be a while and you can have a catch up with Tess while you're in there.

"Ok" said nick to Charlie who wasn't convinced that nick liked the idea

"Tess isn't going to bite" said Charlie who already had an idea what the problem was

Nick gave Charlie a friendly smile before turning around and walking to the staffroom, once he got there be saw Tess inside talking to fletch who nick hadn't really talked to before.

"Fletch you need to concentrate on your job" said Tess to fletch

"I know, but I need the money Tess" said fletch

"Just because of all we have been through don't think I won't fire you" said Tess

Tess meant it but fletch could never take Tess seriously when she was angry so he just laughed.

"I am serious" said Tess who was still smiling slightly because fletch laughed

"I know" said fletch "but I don't know what to do"

"Come here" said Tess pulling fletch into a hug

Fletch hugged Tess back and looked like he was going to cry, nick decided that he should let them know that he was standing at the door so he loudly cleared his throught which made Tess and fletch pull away from their hug and immediately turn around.

"Oh nick" said Tess

Fletch knew who nick was as he had saw the commotion earlier and the incident with zoe so he decided to make himself scares as he knew that Tess would be better talking to him on her own.

"Do you want one" said Tess who held a mug up

"Please" said nick

Tess smiled and lifted the kettle to fill it with water.

"You too looked very cosy" said nick pointing between Tess and fletch who they could see though the window at the nurse's station talking to Charlie

"Just good friends" said Tess

"Like you and Charlie" said nick

"Yea, like me and Charlie" said Tess who was looking at nick while filling the kettle, there was clear hesitance in her voice

"So are you going to tell me what's happened to you" said nick making himself at home on the sofa

"Nice to see you too" said Tess sarcastically

"Exhibit A" said nick pointing to Tess "sarcasm"

Tess raised her eyebrows at nick as she didn't have a clue what he was talking about so she made them both a cup of tea and as she handed nick his she sat down on the sofa beside him.

"Exhibit B" said nick "you called be nick instead of Mr Jordan"

"Well you don't work here anymore" said Tess like it was the most obvious thing in the world

"Exhibit C" said nick smiling "as well as the sarcasm we have some know it all ism in there too"

"Ha ha" said Tess sarcastically, sipping her tea

"look there's the sarcasm again" said nick laughing at Tess who rolled her eyes again but nick knew that she was going to blow if he said anything else.


	5. dead in the water

**Thanks for the reviews, please continue leaving them as I would love to know what you think as the story develops :)**

**And if you have any suggestions just PM me and I will try and add them into the story.**

"I have been through a lot since you left" said Tess who thought that she would never admit this to anyone, not even Charlie

"Like what" said nick setting his tea down in order to listen to Tess

"Personal things" said Tess who had her hands firmly gripped around the mug her tea was in

"Wait a minute" said nick smiling as if he had suddenly had an idea

"What?" said Tess who just gave nick a confused look

"Have you been hanging out with zoe more" said nick relaxing back into the sofa

"I'm not that bad" said Tess while her and nick laughed

Suddenly Charlie came in and saw the 2 sitting on the sofa laughing

"well you 2 have cheered up a bit" said Charlie sitting down beside Tess, which now ment that Tess was sitting between nick and Charlie in the middle of the sofa

Tess smiled but didn't really notice Charlie come in or even sit down as she was just concentrated on nick and was wondering was she really that bad?

"No, zoe has definitely calmed down a bit" said Tess who knew that Zoe would go wild if she thought that Tess hadn't stuck up for her

"Really?" said nick who wasn't really convinced that Zoe's party ways had left her

"Yea" said Charlie who made Tess aware that he was in the room

"well she hasn't got drunk since becoming clinical lead and I haven't seen men around, well I haven't heard of any since I found out that she has a boyfriend" said Tess who was still trying to finger out if zoe had been lying or not

"Does she really have a boyfriend?" said nick who wasn't convinced either

Tess and Charlie looked at each other before turning their attention back to nick

"You 2 aren't convinced, are you?" said nick looking between Tess and Charlie

Tess and Charlie slowly began to shake their heads and look down.

"Well she might but…." Said Tess

"…but she might just be lying to try and make me go away" said nick finishing Tess sentence "I know she doesn't want me here"

"We don't know that" said Tess who was trying to make nick feel better

"but I think we do" said nick who knew that everyone was thinking the same thing, that zoe didn't love him anymore or had fallen out of love with him because nick had saw it too, it was like the passion was gone.

"listen nick, I never thought I would tell anybody this, except from zoe but…" said Tess who suddenly stopped wondering if she wanted to tell nick what had happened between her and fletch all those months ago.

"Listen, about a year ago I was with someone, someone that I shouldn't have been more than friends with but anyway we couldn't be together" said Tess who had decided that there was no harm in telling nick the story about her and fletch if she left the baby thing and fletch's name out of it.

"Why" said nick

"it's complicated" said Tess who decided to continue with her story "anyway I knew that we couldn't be together so I had to break it off, so I told him that it was over and he just stood there and told me that he loved me and I had to walk away"

"Why?" said nick who knew that it was hurting Tess telling him all this

"Cause it was the right thing to do" said Tess

"And do you regret it?" said nick who was genuinely interested

"No, I still see him every day but I don't regret it" said Tess, her voice breaking slightly

Tess stood up when there was a knock on the open door, it was Zoe and Tess walked over to the sink to wash her cup as she knew that if she was near Zoe, she would see right through her act and know that something was wrong and something had happened.

"Nick" said Zoe which made nick immediately stand up


	6. cornered

**Please review****J****, the fight us coming up soon!**

Nick could feel the staff's eyes on him as he walked from the staffroom, around the ED and into Zoe's office, well the office she now shared with Connie Beauchamp.

"Connie, can you give us a minute?" said Zoe who was clearly telling Connie not asking her

"Sure" said Connie who was trying to act as if she was concerned "if you need anything"

"I will tell you" said Zoe smiling as Connie walked out the door

"Not" said Zoe as soon as the door closed

This made nick laugh as Zoe was sorting through some papers which were scattered along her desk.

"I see you haven't lost your attitude" said nick smiling

Zoe never answered as she knew that she was going to have to say no to nick, no to her supposed dream man, the man she had loved for the last 6 years and was just starting to get over.

Zoe wanted this to go quickly and smoothly so that nick could get out of her life as quickly and as quietly as possible.

"Nick, listen" said Zoe who was getting down to business

"You have moved on" said nick immediately "I get it"

"Do you?" said Zoe who wasn't sure if nick had actually got the message because after all he hadn't when Zoe had been with matt, or was max going to end the same? With Zoe running back to nick, cause had she really changed that much?

"Yes, I get it" said nick "you probably have someone way better, young, handsome, smart"

"You are all of those things" said Zoe smiling "well except young"

Nick smiled and laughed at this and so did Zoe, when her eyes met with his.

"But you need a young man who can keep up with your party lifestyle" said nick

"I am not like that anymore" said Zoe looking at the ground "those days are gone"

"So Tess told me" said nick who smiled slightly

"What else did Tess tell you" said Zoe who unknown to Tess had seen her with tears in her eyes

"Just what has happened since I left, in her personal life" added nick in almost a whisper

Zoe's eyes widened

"Nick don't repeat any of what she said to you, to anyone" said Zoe in a serious voice

"Well Charlie was in the room, so he knows" said nick in a relaxed tone

"Nick I am being serious" said Zoe

"Ok, ok" said nick surrendering "but I don't see what the big deal is"

"The big deal is that the first time I ever saw Tess cry was when that happened" said zoe "it broke her heart when she got rid of the baby"

"What?" said nick that was completely confused "you are telling me that Tess…"

"Nick we are not in here to talk about that" said Zoe who was trying her best to end the conversation that she had just started

"What are we in here to talk about?" said nick

Zoe sighed and sat down

"So what has he got that I don't" said nick as he sat down

"He makes me laugh, he makes me smile, he makes me happy and most of all he doesn't care that I'm a doctor" said Zoe

"Well there is still one thing that he hasn't got but I have" said nick

"And what is that?" said Zoe looking at her computer screen as she wasn't remotely interested

"Love" said nick

"What?" said Zoe who shot nick a dirty look

"You never said that he loves you or you even love him" said nick

Zoe looked at the ground as she suddenly stopped typing, nick had her cornered


	7. This isnt love

**Sorry but I am away at weekends and this will be the last update tonight so I will write chapters and will put them up when I get Wi-Fi, so please review****J**

"I think I love him" said Zoe to nick with honesty in her voice

"You think you love him" said nick who immediately sat down as soon as there was a chance of him and Zoe

"And I think he loves me" added Zoe who smiled slightly and clicked her pen in her wooden desk

"Think isn't good enough" said nick who was trying to make Zoe remember the good times they had together and that he loves her

"It is for me" said Zoe who suddenly looked up at nick

"Well it shouldn't be" said nick in all honestly

"Well life's complicated and it shouldn't be" said Zoe who was trying to prove her point

"So are you going to let me meet him" said nick who was just trying to move the conversation forward from when Zoe had proven him wrong

"Let my boyfriend meet my ex?" said Zoe who didn't even have to think bout it "no"

"I have some stories I could tell about you" said nick smiling

"Exactly, that's why no one knows" said Zoe

"Not even Tess?" said nick who was amazed that Zoe had managed to keep it a secret

"Not even Tess" said Zoe confirming it

"Let me see, I bet you have a photo" said nick lifting Zoe's phone

Before Zoe had a chance to take the phone off him, nick had hit the home screen and a picture of max and Zoe lying in bed together came up, nick turned around and looked at Zoe in shock.

"A porter" shouted nick at the top of his voice

Everyone outside the office suddenly stopped working and turned their eyes to the window of Zoe's office where nick stood with Zoe's phone in his hand.

Nick was upset that he had been dumped but dumped by Zoe for a porter was even worse for him, he had expected Zoe's boyfriend to be a doctor in another ward as he knew Zoe well and that she couldn't keep her personal life and work separate but a porter was even a surprise to him.

Nick walked out the door with zoe's phone in the air so that all the staff could see it, zoe closely followed him as she knew that guy self-had already been down here once and Connie would be having a field day if she saw what was going on in zoe's department.

"Look, Dr Hanna is in bed with a porter" said nick "even I didn't think that she would stoop that low"

Zoe finally caught up with nick in reception where she snatched her phone off him.

"You know what if you can't accept it you can get lost and go back to where ever the hell you came from" said Zoe who hit the lock button on her phone.

"Zoe, a porter honestly" said nick who didn't care that all the staff were now looking at the pair like they had done earlier.

"No, all you care about is that the famous nick Jordan has been rejected" shouted Zoe "and that I would love a porter more than I could possibly love you"

"Well you didn't love him 5 minutes ago" said nick to Zoe

"No you were trying to get me to say that I didn't love him" said Zoe

"Oh great example to all the staff sleeping with an employee" said nick sarcastically

"Well I bet you didn't think twice about that when you slept with me and bloody Ruth winters" shouted Zoe at nick


	8. The end

"Zoe...I em" said nick

"You, em what" said Zoe with her hands on her hips

Nick never answered and zoe decided that the best thing to do was to show nick the door before she changed her mind as nick could control her with one single wink, one wink that could change her mind over the most serious and life changing decisions, nick could make zoe lose concentration with one kiss and he could make zoe tremble by just hugging her and the worst thing was that nick knew the deadly effect he had on zoe and knew how to play her and wrap her around his little finger, cause after all, all it takes is one kiss and she would be forever trapped under his spell.

Nick smiled at zoe who still had her hands on her hips, he was looking down at the ground and shaking her head, it was if she was trying to think of what to do and how to react to nick and the hard situation she had been put in, did she really want to let him go?, would she regret it if she did? Could a consultant and a porter really have a future together?

Zoe's dark brown eyes gazed up at nick who smiled because zoe was so easily confused, nick watched zoe single max out from the crowd as she looked him up and down, all eyes were on zoe and nick for the second time today and zoe was getting fed up, should she flip a coin?, should she bring her past into her present and make it her future?, or should she make the guy she loved, max, her future?

So many questions ran through Zoe's head, it was obvious to everyone but herself that she was distracted so nick seized the moment, a moment that could change is life for the better or for the good and he moved into kiss her.

Zoe of course wasn't that far away so she moved out of his way and that's when she realized that he was trying to take advantage of the moment, he was trying to take her away from max, which would probably throw her into a dark hole which there would be no return.

She couldn't live without max, it was like he was the nick Jordan of her present and nick was the man of her past, the man who had broken her heart over so many things, the man that when she looked at she could only see bad things, memories of the past life that they had once shared but zoe decided that enough was enough and the only way she could break the spell that nick had on her was to let him go and never let him walk back into her life and of course never look back like she had done so many times, for he was like an allergy, something that would never go away and keep coming back to ruin your fun and wreak your plans.

"Just go back to where ever the hell you came from" shouted Zoe at the top of her voice to nick

"But zoe…" said nick who was now that venerable one

"No nick" said Zoe looking down

"Just get out of my life" said Zoe "I can't turn my past into my future"

"And your futures with a porter?" said nick who had started walking backwards

"Well if I can help it, you won't be here long enough to find out" said Zoe

Zoe turned around and nick now had his back to the doors of the ED, from there he could see his Zoe Hanna walk over to her new love, max and slowly slip her hand into his.

**Thanks for everyone who has reviewed this fanfic but this was the last chapter so please review****J**


End file.
